Coin sorting apparatus and method

Abstract

A coin sorting device which includes an inclined coin transport rail with a coin feeding mechanism for supplying a flow of coins of different sizes to the upper end of the rail, the coin transport rail including at least one drop-through slot opening in the rail for permitting the smallest sized coin to pass therethrough while retaining all of the larger sized coins on the rail and also including a number of spaced apart pickoff coin removing fingers to successively remove selected coins from the rail; the slot being specifically constructed to produce simultaneous tilting and rotation of the smallest coin at the leading end of the slot to insure removal thereof through the slot with all of the coin engaging surfaces of the slot and the fingers being highly polished to reduce friction and obstruction of the flow of coins and certain portions of said surfaces being bevelled to eliminate restriction of the removal of the various coins from the rail, and also the method of sorting and separating coins of different sizes which includes removing through a drop-through slot, the smallest coins from an inclined transport coin carrying rail, and removing the larger sized coins with overhead pickoff fingers and ultimately permitting the next to the smallest coin to be discharged at the lower end of the rail.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A coin-sorting device comprising, a downwardly inclined coin-carrying rail,   a coin feeding mechanism for feeding coins one at a time onto the upper end of said rail,   said rail being tilted rearwardly and including a back member for slidably engaging the back face of the coins traveling down said rail,   said rail also including a forwardly extending coin carrying shelf fixed along the lower portion thereof and being sufficiently wide to support the circumferential edge of the coins rolling along said rail,   said back member having a drop-through slot opening positioned along the length of said rail, the size of said slot opening being sufficiently wide to permit the smallest of the coins to pass therethrough and having the leading end of the slot sloping toward the upper end of said rail to cause said smallest sized coins to substantially simultaneously tilt into the slot and rotate on their upstanding axes to insure quick passage of said smallest coins through said slot opening, the lower edge of said slot being spaced above said shelf to provide a retaining flange for a substantial portion of the length of said slot to positively maintain the lower edges of the larger coins on said shelf,   means for removing the larger coins from said rail,   said flange being cut away adjacent the leading end of the slot to reduce the height thereof and thereby reduce the resistance to initial tilting and rotation of the smallest coins as they begin their passage through the slot opening, the length of said cut away portion of said flange being sufficient to produce the desired quick exit of the smallest coins through the slot opening without reducing the stability of the larger coins rolling down said rail, and   the downstream end of said cut away portion being bevelled to engage and "kick" up a coin riding on the cut away portion to positively project the coin rearwardly as the same is falling through the slot.   
     
     
       2. The structure set forth in claim 1 wherein the length of said cut away portion of the flange being not less than the diameter of the smallest coin and not more than one and one-half diameters of the smallest coin. 
     
     
       3. The structure set forth in claim 1 wherein the trailing end of said slot opening is smoothly beveled from the front side toward the back side to positively prevent engagement of the larger sized coins with said trailing end. 
     
     
       4. The structure set forth in claim 3 and the trailing end of said slot being curved as viewed in front elevation. 
     
     
       5. The structure set forth in claim 1 wherein the top edge of said slot opening is beveled upwardly from the front edge of the back to prevent restriction by the smallest coins as they are passing through the slot. 
     
     
       6. The structure set forth in claim 1 and a plurality of top engaging curved camming fingers spaced apart along the length of said rail and spaced above said shelf progressively diminishing distances for successive engagement with the larger sized coins as they travel along the rail to remove the larger sized coins from the rail at different locations along the length thereof. 
     
     
       7. The structure set forth in claim 6 wherein the lower edges of said fingers are curved and smoothly rounded to provide minimal frictional resistance to engagement of the rolling coins. 
     
     
       8. The structure set forth in claim 1 and said coin feeding mechanism including a rotary pickup disk having spaced apart pickup pins extending forwardly from the face thereof and a ridge having a radius slightly smaller than the radial spacing of the pins from the center of the disk, and said ridge having beveled recessed portions in forwardly spaced relation to said pins to prevent more than one coin from being retained by each set of pins at a time. 
     
     
       9. A coin-sorting device comprising a downwardly inclined coin-carrying rail,   a coin feeding mechanism for feeding coins one at a time onto the upper end of said rail,   said rail being tilted rearwardly and including a back member for slidably engaging the back face of the coins traveling down said rail,   said rail also including a forwardly extending coin-carrying shelf fixed along the lower portion thereof and being sufficiently wide to support the circumferential edge of the coins rolling along said rail,   a plurality of pickoff fingers spaced along said rail and spaced above said shelf in progressively decreasing distances to progressively remove the larger sized coins from the rail, the portions of the shelf respectively disposed below said pickoff fingers being recessed to substantially reduce the resistance to removal of the coins respectively engaged by said fingers, and   means for collecting the respective sorted coins in segregated compartments.   
     
     
       10. The structure set forth in claim 9 and said coin feeding mechanism including a rotary pickup disk having spaced apart pickup pins extending forwardly from the face thereof and a ridge having a radius slightly smaller than the radial spacing of the pins from the center of the disk, and said ridge having beveled recessed portions in forwardly spaced relation to said pins to prevent more than one coin from being retained by each set of pins at a time. 
     
     
       11. A coin-sorting device comprising, a downwardly inclined coin-carrying rail,   a coin feeding mechanism for feeding coins one at a time onto the upper end of said rail,   said rail being tilted rearwardly and including a back member for slidably engaging the back face of the coins traveling down said rail,   said rail also including a forwardly extending coin-carrying shelf fixed along the lower portion thereof and being sufficiently wide to support the circumferential edge of the coins rolling along said rail,   said back member having a drop-through slot opening positioned along the length of said rail, the size of said slot opening being sufficiently wide to permit the smallest of the coins to pass therethrough and having the leading end of the slot sloping toward the upper end of said rail to cause said smallest sized coins to substantially simultaneously tilt into the slot and rotate on their upstanding axes to insure quick passage of said smallest coins through said slot opening, the lower edge of said slot being spaced above said shelf to provide a retaining flange for a substantial portion of the length of said slot to positively maintain the lower edges of the larger coins on said shelf,   a plurality of top engaging curved camming fingers spaced apart along the length of said rail and spaced above said shelf progressively diminishing distances for successive engagement with the larger sized coins as they travel along the rail to remove the larger sized coins from the rail at different locations along the length thereof, and   the portions of the shelf respectively disposed below the camming edges of the fingers are recessed to reduce the resistance to removal of the larger coins as they are respectively engaged by said fingers.   
     
     
       12. The method of sorting coins of different sizes comprising, supplying the coins to be sorted to the upper end of an inclined coin carrying rail having a coin supporting shelf and a back member which is tilted back to maintain the rolling coins on said shelf,   providing a slot opening in the back member to permit the smallest coins being sorted to be removed therethrough,   removing the larger coins successively by a plurality of overhead fingers spaced along said rail,   collecting the coins from the respective fingers and the slot opening to segregate said coin sizes, and   providing a recess at the leading end portion of the slot with a camming shoulder at the end of the recess to kick up the coins as they are falling back through the slot and positively eject the coins rearwardly through said slot opening.   
     
     
       13. The method set forth in claim 12 and substantially eliminating the resistance to removal of the coins by said fingers, by reducing the thickness of the portion of the coin supporting shelf immediately below said spaced apart fingers.